5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to Kidd Valley for their Burger Dip Sandwich in Bellevue, WA on this 31st day of October, 2011 - What a wonderful and meaty, hot, cheesy burger dip!

Setting the scene

The sign at Kidd Valley, Bellevue Overlake area.

The fall colors were beginning to become more "dead".  Depressing but it means that it'll be ski season soon!

It was a lazy football Saturday in the fall at lunchtime and time for me to have a dip, so I headed down to my local Kidd Valley for their Burger Dip.  I knew going in that it was a very fine sandwich but I hadn't had it for a while.  I don't eat at Kidd Valley much but when I do I've enjoyed the Burger Dip, fried mushrooms on the side.

Menu and Ordering

$5.65 is a pretty fair price but by the time you get your side (I did fried mushrooms) and beverage you're just under $10.

The lady at the counter was friendly and I got a dip, a side of fried mushrooms with ranch, and a lemonade.  The price got to nearly $10 but I was okay with that.  I had the option of getting BBQ sauce instead of Au Jus for my French dip but I went with the au jus.  I ordered it with Swiss cheese since that's how it's offered but you have the option of Cheddar and American cheeses.  The ladies behind the counter regaled me with how they like to order their burger dips.

For some of you purists out there, you may believe that a burger dip isn't a French dip but I say it is.


Plate

Here it is.  Good portion, good looking cheese, nicely toasted bread, and a lot of meat!

The dip arrived, wrapped in paper and served with my mushrooms.  It looked very good, meaty and cheesy.


Skewer method
No skewer, no big deal.




Bread
Good looking French roll.  Probably a standard type of roll but the way they toast it makes it look all crackly and delicious.




Meat

Lots of very good ground beef in here and good-looking swiss cheese!

The meat on this sandwich (I suppose coupled with the au jus, cheese, and good, buttery bread) makes this sandwich really good.  It's a very large (two patty) burger which makes it for a very hearty dip.




Non-meat toppings
I got Swiss cheese on this one which was actually quite good.  It added to the texture and had a good, authentic flavor.




Au jus

There it is.  Styrofoam container but tasty.

You can see the fat floating in here, which makes it delicious.

The au jus on this is really good.  Totally solid.  Nothing wrong.  Drinkable.




Portion
Good, semi-large portion with a lot of meat.




Value
The sandwich alone at $5.65 is a pretty good deal.  The very good fried mushrooms with ranch and the lemonade made it a bit pricey for fast food at just under $10 but still well worth it!!!




Overall dip
This is a great dip.  The thing for me that really sets it a part is the great burger and the GARLIC BUTTER that they add to the bread.  Although they don't tell you that this is something they do on their very simple menu, they do and it is delicious.  It makes for a very butter, big, and juicy dip that's to die for.




Other (fun?) stuff while there
The mushrooms are great.  The fact that they do garlic butter on the bread is wonderful, though rich.

They provide the option of BBQ sauce as an alternative to au jus but it's not better.  I tried it for two bites and although its delicious and there's a (big) place in my heart for BBQ sauce, I prefer (good) au jus to BBQ sauce on a French dip sandwich.




Summary

	Score (0-5)	Comments
Bread	4	Crackly and nice texture, absorbent from a basic French roll.
Meat	4	Lots of really good burger.
Au Jus	5	Very good, fine portion.  Drinkable.
Overall	5	A really hearty, great dip and they add garlic butter to the bun which makes it very rich and buttery.  A hangover cure!?

Reason to go back:  Get what I got: the Burger Dip, fried mushrooms with ranch, and a lemonade!

2 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Not Quite There) Awarded to Turf Restaurant for their French Dip Sandwich in Seattle, WA on this 22nd day of October, 2011 - I meet Misty of @FrenchDipSEA at The Turf, Seattle for a (Ham and Roast Beef) Dip

Setting the scene

The outside of Turf Restaurant and Lounge, Seattle downtown.  There's a lot of rather seedy foot traffic around here.  I believe I witnessed drug deals while waiting. : )

When I started the French Dip Reviews blog, got a Twitter account and soon thereafter was very surprised to learn of @FrenchDipSEA, who is owned by Misty, a great gal who I've since gotten to know.  This was our first time meeting in person and we had a very fun lunch and got to talk about the dip.
Turf's dip was recommended to me by my good friend Charlotte's brother Owen.  Owen is in the food industry and told Charlotte that Turf had a good dip.  I was about to find out!
When I showed up, I pretty much laughed at the place.  It was in a pretty seedy part of Seattle (2nd and Pike) and while I waited for my dining partner for lunch, believe I witnessed drug deals even.  The place looked pretty seedy and the clientele were in some cases homeless.  A far cry from Bellevue and the eastside but good for your soul!!!

Postage Stamps, Air Conditioned (it was probably 45 degrees and raining), and Scratch Tickets.  What more could a person want?

Menu and Ordering

French dip (beef or ham) w/ fries, choice of soup (they had clam chowder that day) or salad....for $7.95...(PRETTY GOOD VALUE!!!)

I knew what I was going to get so this was no big whoop.  I was surprised and happy that they had a Ham Dip.  Misty ordered the regular roast beef French dip and I got the Ham dip, so I'd know.  Each meal came with a salad (only dressing options are Ranch and Thousand Island, believe it or not!!!!!) and crinkle cut French fries.

Plate

The starter salad.  Although the iceberg lettuce tasted fine, it was probably the saddest looking lettuce I'd seen in a while!!!

The Ham dip at Turf, Seattle.  Looks pretty good overall.  Fried ham is yummy in general.  I had to order more au jus but that's okay. 

Skewer method
No skewer


Non-meat toppings
None: this was a VERY classic French (ham) dip.


Portion
Fair portion.  They did have the ham WILDLY LOPSIDED in terms of portion between the two halves.


Other (fun?) stuff while there

Although this picture's not clear, they have a very wide variety on their menu and specials.

The experience of going to this pretty funny, quaint dive and meeting Misty, another (the only other?!) French dip fanatic, was very fun.  Our middle-aged, Latino waitress was also very cute and nice; the service was pretty good overall.


Summary
A great time at a place I wouldn't frequent again.

	Score (0-5)	Comments
Bread	2	Fair, standard French dip roll.  They grilled it on the grill and slightly burned it even.
Meat	1	The ham was okay.  Misty didn't like it, though.  The roast beef was chewy and well.
Au Jus	3	This was pretty good jus overall.  It had good color, wasn't too salty and looked pretty good.
Overall	2	This was a fun experience just because it was so run down and "classic".

Reason to go back:  I think I'd try some of their other stuff.  They had Lumpia and a really wide array of menu items.  If I happened to be in downtown Seattle and wanted a greasy spoon, totally down to earth place to grab a cup of (probably just good enough) coffee and some greasy hashbrowns with ketchup, I'd drop in.  

5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to The Keg Steakhouse for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Bellevue, WA on this 22nd day of October, 2011 - Prime Rib dip with Herbed Jus is Very Good (The first Perfect 5!)

Setting the scene

The Keg's sign in Factoria of Bellevue, WA.  It's in my old neighborhood.

It was lunchtime about two weeks ago and I needed to get my French dip in for the week (that's my current operating rule: one dip per week).  And I was out for lunch running errands by myself and had recently heard about The Keg's French dip.  It's in my neighborhood, so I stopped in and got the dip (for the purposes of both enjoyment and the proliferation of French dip and food review based content on the internetwebs).

My view from my table.  It was an early lunch but I like the vibe / ambiance in here!!

Menu and Ordering

The leather-bound menu makes you feel like a real stallion!

Prime Rib Sandwich: Slow roasted prime rib, sliced fresh off the roast (this is a  HUGE benefit over most places, and reminds me of JP's "Meat Age" tip about when it was made), on garlic bread.  $15.95.

The ambiance in The Keg is pretty nice.  It's a little dim but classy.  You feel semi cool and refined while here.  It's not a dive by any means and the wait staff is all quite professional and good.

Plate

Here it is.  Very pretty, au jus smelled great, nice-looking and tasting horseradish on the side, and a very well prepared Caesar Salad to boot!

Here you can see the very good bread and the medium-rare (and very excellent) Prime rib.  It was done perfectly and not very salty; just damn good!

Skewer method

Why bother?

Non-meat toppings

Horseradish on the side, which was a very nice option / touch and very spicy but MAN do I love that nasal hit you get when you go big enough!  What a rush!!!!!!!!!

Au jus

Herby.  OMG it's good.

Portion

Totally fine and not overly large portion.  The Prime Rib portion was generous and delicious.

Value

First time using this category.  For the $15.99 its an expensive one but well worth it in my opinion!!

Other (fun?) stuff while there

I had privacy to geek out and eat my really good dip.  I did have to order more jus but this is not a complaint for me anymore.  I expect at this point that they will be too skimpy on the jus but it's not worth complaining about a lack of jus, just ask for more!!

Summary

	Score (0-5)	Comments
Bread	5	Real good.  Toasted lightly.  Between soft and firm; good texture.  The 'garlic bread' nature was not entirely apparent but it was very good nonetheless.
Meat	5	Excellent Prime rib.  Tender, perfectly done, not salty, good cut size.
Au Jus	5	Excellent.  A little thick but not quite gravy.  Very herby and delicious.  Not overly salty; primary characteristic was its herbiness.
Overall	5	A most excellent dip as a standalone, but when you add in the very good horseradish and real good Caesar with lemon, this can't be beat (or can it?!).

Reason to go back:  This is a great dip and I think The Keg, overall is a pretty good place to get good grub and drinks.

0 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Terrible) Awarded to Red Robin Gourmet Burgers for their Prime Rib Dip Sandwich in Redmond, WA on this 5th day of October, 2011 - A terrible and expensive prime rib dip.

Setting the scene

The faithful Red Robin sign

I found myself at Red Robin: I was going to meet a friend there for beers but he missed his bus and couldn’t make it so I was left sitting solo.  It was dinner time and since I have this very big responsibility to review French dips for you (man it is stressful!! ; )), and Red Robin has one on their menu (Prime Rib, Provolone, Grilled Onions, on French baguette), I figured I’d have and review it.
I thought to myself as I ordered that I might have sworn off the Red Robin Dip before for it not being good but I figured I needed to have it again and get the knowledge of this French dip out to my peeps.  So here it goes: the Red Robin Prime Rib Dip!

Menu and Ordering

I like Red Robin’s menu and burgers.  Their steak fries are good and I really like to dip my fries into “Buzz Sauce”, which is the stuff they brine/cook their hot wings in: zesty and delicious, garlicky.

Looks like a pretty tasty unit!

Plate

It has very small bread, very little au jus, and the meat is gray!

No, really, it is GRAY!!!

The dip came with coleslaw that tasted okay and I ordered a salad (Bleu Cheese) instead of the steak fries (figured I’d save on some calories).  The salad was pretty good overall: good croutons, larger than normal (in a good way) cabbage bits, and reasonable hearty carrot shards.  My first impression of the plate, though, was that ‘the meat and jus are GRAY!’

Skewer method

Fancy toothpick with yellow frills.

Bread

The bread was soft, not crunchy, and very small.  It was a French baguette but very soft and even greasy from the onions. 

Meat

There was plenty of medium-done, gray prime rib on it, and a limited amount of visible fat.  It had a good beefy flavor and was semi--probably overly--salty.  The portion of meat was rather large compared to bun size.

Non-meat toppings

This sandwich had greasy grilled onions on it that were pretty flavorful and also provolone cheese that I didn’t really notice except that it seemed unnecessary to me: even more unnecessary fat/grease.

Au jus

The amount of gray au jus that arrived was very small but I was kind of happy in the end that there wasn’t more because it had no flavor.  It could have been ‘authentic’ (pan drippings) but overall it was flavorless and watery.

Portion

The bread portion of the sandwich was about the (quite small) size of the Arby’s bread and this disappointed me for a $14 sandwich.  The meat and other toppings were plentiful although flowing out of the small bun, which created a sloppy mess.

Overall dip

The sandwich portion was greasy and okay.  The beef had good—yet salty—flavor.  The non-meat toppings were greasy, which leached into the small bun.  The au jus ruined the sandwich.  It was bad—and like the meat—gray.

Other (fun?) stuff while there

This is fun

And nice that they have these options

I sat next to a guy named Paul who tested Nintendo games professionally and liked dipping his burger into his milk shake.

Summary

This expensive and fancy-sounding dip is greasy and has a grayish-colored, very light-in-flavor au jus for dipping.  The bun is the size of the $3.99 Arby’s dip but for $10 more.   

	Score (0-5)	Comments
Bread	2	Soft, not enough, got greasy.
Meat	1	Gray, medium, lots, beefy, salty.
Au Jus	0	Gray, very little provided, flavorless.
Overall	0	Greasy, Arby's-sized bread, flavorless au jus.

Reason to go back: Fun-ish ambiance, very good steak fries, and dip the fries into the Buzz Sauce if you like spicy!

3 of 5 DeliciScore™ (Good) Awarded to Crossroads Bar and Grill for their French Dip Sandwich in Bellevue, WA on this 26th day of September, 2011 - Angus beef with Horseradish Mayo on Ciabatta

Setting the scene

Met up with my buddy, JP, for Happy Hour after work at Crossroads Bar & Grill.  Was planning on just having drinks, but low and behold, I started talking about French Dip Reviews and I felt inclined to review one.  It’s becoming quite an anti-social endeavor: I geek out reviewing the thing and wind up having to take pictures and notes while I’m also trying to engage in conversation.  Oh well, the woes of a working stiff!

I’d seen this dip on the menu a few weeks back and wanted to try it.  I like this place in general and their deep seemed fancy.

 

 

 

 

 

    

Menu and Ordering

No problems here.  “"Thinly sliced certified Angus beef stacked high on a Ciabatta roll with melted provolone cheese, horseradish mayo and au jus for dipping.  $14.99"  Seemed a bit steep and it’s not prime rib, just Angus, which I figured would be good.  The Ciabatta was new and the horseradish mayo added an exciting flare to it.

Plate

The salad was pretty good: good greens and a “balsamic bleu cheese” dressing that was quite good, although I put too much on accidentally…be warned.

Looked like a good dip, the au jus smelled good, the portion not the largest, especially for $15.

Skewer method

First of my reviewed dips with a classic “frilly toothpick” skewer.

Bread

The Ciabatta was interesting.  Don’t feel like I’ve ever had a dip on Ciabatta.  It was a reasonable soft bread with no crunch but it did a good job of sopping up the jus. 

Meat

The Angus beef was fine.  Definitely served medium.  JP suggested that I ask the wait staff “when was the meat cooked” so I can get a sense of how fresh / important the meet is.  I agree.  The meat was a bit chewy and course but not bad.

Non-meat toppings

This had the horseradish mayo on it with added some flavor although not overpowering and it also had provolone on it.  I didn’t taste the provolone, although it probably added moisture, which wasn’t necessary.

Au Jus

The jus was good and hot.  Good taste, rather dark in color.  No complaints.

Portion

The portion was rather small (like the size of a small hamburger) and for $15 I might complain.

Overall dip

Overall, the dip was good.  It was tasty.  The horseradish mayo was very faint although added some degree of interestingness.

Other (fun?) stuff while there

Got to drink a couple of Boundary Bay IPAs, which are very good and had great conversation with JP about French Dips, technology, Microsoft, relationships, travel, The 4 Hour Work Week, and entrepreneurship.

Summary

It’s a pretty good dip overall but the horseradish may isn’t interesting enough and the size is a bit small.

	Score (0-5)	Comments
Bread	3	Ciabatta was an interesting touch but too small.  Absorbed the jus well, though.
Meat	2	Angus beef but so what.  It was kind of dry and tough and well done.
Au Jus	4	Good, dark, flavorful.
Overall	3	Pricy, small size, some interesting tweaks in the Ciabatta and horseradish mayo but just average in total.

Reason to go back: Not for this sandwich.  They have good beers and the ambiance in here is pretty good generally.  Nice to have a good old bar around Bellevue with pretty good eats.  JP liked his macaroni and cheese with bacon pasta.

5 of 5 DeliciScore™ (From Heaven) Awarded to Gere-a-Deli for their French Dip Sandwich in Anacortes, WA on this 26th day of September, 2011 - Adam's Gere-a-Deli French dip w/ cheddar: get a BOWL of jus!

Gere-a-Deli's a great, popular, long-standing Anacortes staple.

My brother, Adam, ordered a BOWL of jus to manage the risk of outage.

Review: "Good bread, good meat, good jus, cheese was mild but pleasant, atmosphere nice, the previous sandwich [at Island Cafe] was larger and crispier. This was a solid product. 5."

The queue is building and friends are pinging me hard with pictures and requests to review

The last 24 hours has been hilarious with respect to my French dip blog.  People seem to be liking it.  My friend Charlotte, who's a food stylist, promoted the blog on her Facebook and I got a lot of traffic and interest from that.  Thanks, Charlotte!

Brian and Lindsay's SMS messages (and Lindsay's review)!

Brian and Lindsay having a dip at Emory's in Everett.

The SMS texts that followed:

Lindsay: I don't have much to compare it to, since this is my first FD [French Dip] in years but here goes:

Me: Nice

Lindsay: Cheese garlic bread with prime rib meat.  Great bread that was crunchy enough to add texture but not get too soggy when dunked.  Cheese/garlic added a nice touch without being overpowering.  Nice balance

Me: Lol

Lindsay: Meat was good.  Didn't notice any big fat chunks.  Probably cooked medium.  One order was enough for two people $16.25.  [Au] Jus was room temp but very tasty.  Beefy, not too salty, nice balance.

Woo hoo!  My first review from someone other than me!

Colin's SMS message

My buddy Colin sent me this pic from his phone for my reference.  Thanks, Colin, I'll check it out!

Adam and Angie's SMS message last night

My brother, Adam, sent me this pic.  My response:

Me: Angus, where's that?

Adam: Island Cafe in Anacortes [via picture]

Me: Yes.  I want pics and a full writeup!  Make it happen.

[Hasn't yet happened...he and I will have to talk!!]

Brad via Email

He Eric,
I consumed a french dip sandwedge [Brad is joking, he knows how to spell sandwich] last evening at the Alger Tavern. I would like to write a review on it.
Thanks

Brad

So I'll have to get Brad up and running!

Anyways, it's been funny the interest and attention I'm getting.  Hope you enjoy!